Math 1011: Precalculus

Session: Spring 2009		Instructor: Barry McQuarrie		Office Hours:
MWF 3:30-4:35pm		Office: Science 1380		Monday Through Friday 10:30-11:30am
Location: Sci 3650		Phone: 589-6302 (I do not use voicemail)		drop in (if my door is open we can talk, if it is closed I am not available)
		mcquarrb@morris.umn.edu		other times via email appointment
		http://cda.morris.umn.edu/~mcquarrb/

Course Prerequisites

To succeed in this course you will need to have mastered basic algebraic manipulations and be very comfortable and confident working with fractions. Historically, students who do not have these skills have not succeeded in this course.

Goals

This is a preparatory course for students who intend to take calculus (hence it has no general education designator). You should take calculus as soon as possible after completing this course, preferably next semester.

A student who successfully completes this course should be able to

• manipulate functions algebraically and graphically,
• work with polynomial, power, rational, exponential, logistic, and logarithmic functions,
• work with trigonometric functions, and understand trigonometric identities.

Beyond the curriculum, you should also expect to

• develop skill at problem solving,
• develop good study habits,
• develop confidence in your problem solving skills.

Textbook

The textbook for the course is Demana, Waits, Foley & Kennedy Precalculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic 7^th Ed. This is a very good book, in my opinion, but it certainly contains far more material than we will cover in this class. It should prove to be an excellent resource for you once you move on to calculus. To be prepared for the lectures you should read the section the lecture is on before the lecture is given. I will typically not be able to cover everything from the section in the lecture, but I will indicate what material you are responsible for from each section.

Time Commitment

University policy says ``one credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the course''. Our course is a four-credit course, meeting approximately three hours per week: 4 credits times 3 hours/week/credit - 3 hours/week in lecture = 9 hours/week outside class. Thus, you are expected to spend 9 hours per week working outside of class, reading the textbook and working problems.

Please make the most of my office hours! The content of the course can be difficult at times and I expect to see you all in my office at some time or other. To get the most out of the course you should

• do homework every day,
• allot time to think about what it is we are doing,
• discuss the techniques we are studying and their implementation with your classmates,
• discuss any difficulties with me during office hours.

Course Components

Practice. On the syllabus I suggest homework practice problems for each lecture (solutions to selected problems are available on the course webpage). You should do as much extra homework as you deem necessary to enhance your understanding of a topic. Falling behind in this course can lead to disaster, so it is important that you keep up with the homework. The practice problems are not graded.

Assignments. Assignments will be handed out in class, and collected a few days later in class on Friday (the Friday`s when assignments are due are listed on the syllabus). Each question will typically count 10 points towards the assignment total. Assignments will be handed in at the beginning of class on the day they are due, unless you have spoken to me before and I have granted an extension. Putting assignments in my mailbox or under my office door while I am teaching another course is severely frowned upon unless we have agreed that you will be doing this. If this is done when I am teaching your class I will not accept the work (believe it or not, people have actually done this!)

WeBWorK. You will be completing some of your assignments using the online homework utility WeBWorK, which you can learn more about here. Basically, for every section we cover you will be assigned about 5 problems to work on online. Each question will count 5 points towards assignment total. The WeBWorK for a given week is due the following Monday at 5pm.

Journals. At the beginning of each week I want you to submit a journal to me. Your journal should be a few sentences or maybe a couple of paragraphs long, and must be submitted before Friday at 3:30pm the week it was assigned (you can not submit 10 journals in the last week to get the credit for journals). I do this so I can get to know you a bit better, and so you can have a chance to read some of the cool things about math that are related to the concepts in the course. Each journal submission will count 5 points towards your assignment grade, to a max of 50 points. Once you have submitted 10 journals you will have completed the journal component of the assignments.

Algebra Pretest. During the second week of class, you will take an algebra pretest. This test will count 100 points towards the assignment grade. This test gives you an opportunity early on to assess your algebra skills, since algebra is an important prerequisite for the course.

Tests. Tests will take place during class on Wednesdays. There will be a review in the regular classroom on the Monday before the test from 6-7pm. You will not be allowed any outside material on your desks during tests. I will allow you to use a calculator on tests, but you shouldn't need one to solve the problems. Debriefing after tests should be done during office hours, after you have had a chance to reflect on the test.

Final Exam. The final exam will be similar in format to the tests, except slightly longer, and cumulative in nature. Here you will be required to show competency with the methods we have studied over the entire course.

Graphing Calculators. A graphing calculator will be useful, but not required. Calculus at UMM is taught with the use of Mathematica. I will probably use Mathematica for any plots we need to look at in class. Plotting in Mathematica is simple, and it would be a good idea to learn that single Mathematica command before enrolling in calculus. Regardless, learning Mathematica is not required for this course and I do not expect you to try to learn it now. We are going to concentrate on the mathematics, not the technology.

Grading

Here is the University-wide uniform grading policy.

• A: Represents achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.
• B: Represents achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.
• C: Represents achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect.
• D: Represents achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to fully meet the course requirements.
• F: Represents failure and indicates that the coursework was completed but at a level unworthy of credit, or was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and student that the student would be temporarily given an incomplete.
• I: See the catalog.

The grade for the course will be calculated by the following formula:

Your numerical grades will be converted to letter grades and finally Grade Points via the following cutoffs (see the UMM Catalog):

Respectful Classroom

• Be in class on time. I nor you fellow classmates enjoy the disruption late arrival causes. I know that situations crop up that will entail late arrival (please come even if you are late!) but try to ensure it is the exception and not the rule.
• If you need to leave class early, let me know before class and slip out as unobtrusively as possible.
• During class, cell phones and music devices should be turned off, and headphones removed from ears.
• To ask a question during class, you can get my attention by saying my name (``Barry, could you explain how you know the function crosses the axis?") or raise your hand.
• I will be leaving some of the algebra steps out of examples done in class, you should fill in the details after class and see me during office hours with questions regarding algebraic manipulations.

• As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating, and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student`s ability to participate in daily activities. If you have any special needs or requirements to help you succeed in the class, come and talk to me as soon as possible, or visit the appropriate University service yourself. You can learn more about the range of services available on campus by visiting the websites:

  The Academic Assistance Center www.morris.umn.edu/services/dsoaac/aac/

  Student Counseling www.morris.umn.edu/services/counseling/

  Disability Services www.morris.umn.edu/services/dsoaac/dso

  Multi-Ethnic Student Program www.morris.umn.edu/services/msp/
  

• Cooperation is vital to your future success, which ever path you take. I encourage cooperation amongst students where ever possible, but the act of copying or other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty in any portion of the academic work for a course is grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course. Any act of plagiarism that is detected will result in a mark of zero on the entire assignment or test for both parties. If you are in any way unclear about what constitutes academic dishonesty, reread the earlier section on Assignments where I discuss collaboration, and please come and talk to me if you have any questions. UMM's Academic Integrity policy and procedures can be found at www.morris.umn.edu/Scholastic/AcademicIntegrity/.
• Since the assignments are handed out days in advance, only under exceptional circumstances (which can be officially documented) will I accept late work. You will receive a mark of zero if an assignment is submitted late. However, please talk with me asap (do not wait until the next class) if you missed turning something in, even if it is after the deadline.
• If you are going to miss an exam, let me know in advance so we can work out alternate plans. Taking an exam early can usually be arranged.

I am looking forward to an exciting and productive semester with you all! I am positive that we can all make the most of this opportunity to grow and learn.

Getting Started

Read Prerequisites pages 1-67 during the first week of classes. If you want a short review of some algebraic properties, check out the concept map at http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/alg.html.

A short guide to graphing with Mathematica, and the associated Mathematica file can be useful if you want to learn how to plot a function using Mathematica.

The relationship between precalculus and calculus concept map.

Course Calendar

Here is the tentative lecture schedule. You are responsible for any changes to this schedule which are announced in class. Assignments will be handed out in class, and due on the date listed below. The Basic Functions from Section 1.3 appear throughout the course. I have identified where they appear by coloring them this color in the Content/Resources column. I have added links to the section headings if I have included some extra notes, or example problems from that section. These additional resources are not complete lecture notes!